The Book of Lies

Everybody Lies. 

With the exception of some intellectual disorders and a wide range of persons encompassed with in the autism spectrum, everyone lies.

As we discussed in our previous look at this topic, lying is the first hypothetical construct children will learn, and something which in maintained in later life, with the average person lying at least once a day.

This time I wanted to examine the psychology and rational behind lies, taking us all a little deeper than simply the origins of lying.

To this end, for the next 7 days I will be keeping a journal. Recording every time I lie and the reason behind it. I have aptly named this little black book, "The Book of Lies". Credit for this idea goes the @Ruby Taylor.

We all have a tendency to define what is (and isn't) a lie in differing ways, often to suit the situation we are in. The oxford dictionary defines a lie as; "an intentionally false statement, used with reference to a situation involving deception or founded on a mistaken impression, an untruth expressed as truth".

Now thats out of the way, lets examine the widely excepted "types" of lies in social psychology.

The Big Lie
This term was coined by Adolph Hitler and refers to a deception which is so extreme or large that it is often contradicted by common sense or information the person being lied to possess.  However when the lie is of sufficient magnitude it is able to succeed due to the basic human assumption that something so significant could not, and would not, be fabricated and/or the reluctance of humans to scrutinize popular belief.

Careful Speaking/misleading
Essentially refers to the selective omission of certain relevant information and facts, thought no outright lie takes place, the intent remains to make someone believe an untruth.

Compliments/false reassurance
This is perhaps the most common form of lying in which we all engage, commonly known as "white lies", and consisting of exaggerations or false sentiments intended to please another individual.

Bluffing
pretending to have an ability or intention you do not in fact possess.

Contextual Lies
Taking a truthful statement out of context in order to deceive, i.e "twisting the truth".

Emergency Lies
A lie told in order to hide a truth that would harm a third party.

Exaggeration
Hyperbole, where the facts of a fundamental truth are polarized i.e "stretching the truth".

Fabrication
The submission of a statement or fact as truth, when it is unknown as to whether it is actually true or not.

Jocose Lies
Lies told in jest for example sarcasm.

Nobel Lies
A lie that benefits others and/or maintain law and order in society.

Due to an impending exam, I'm going to leave it at that, and we can talk psychology after my exam on Thursday.

So till next time kids, remember; a half-truth is still a whole lie.
This is Z,
Signing out.

PS. Should any of you want to keep your own Book of Lies, your insights would be much appreciated, I am simply recording the type of each lie and the relationship I have with the person to whom it was told. 

Gay Genes?

Another day another blog.

I think I failed chemistry last night, so as recompense I feel I ought to incorporate some into this blog.

Today I am blogging (yet again) about the nature/nurture debate surrounding sexuality, with a little bit of scientific research to broaden your understanding (and mine).

For many of us, there is a decisive point at which we can first identify genuine sexual attraction to a member of the same sex. For others, it was something they always knew and accepted, or a gradual development over time.

Looking back, the first time I can really put my finger on it, was one of my best friends in junior high school. While the foundations had long been present, with inklings of same-sex attraction since Louisa C in grade 5 (I've always a been sucker for blondes) it was Miss M.D who forced me out of cosy denial. (I've neglected to mention her name on the preface that she is no longer that way inclined!). I wrote endless diary entries about her, torn as to whom to tell, and how to proceed, surprised and confused about how she made feel. But we're not here to talk about me, I just thought I'd share my own experience about a sexual attraction which I feel I had little control over.

Bring on the science!

A longitudinal study in Toronto, Canada (amongst others) has found that if you are male, the number of older brothers you have appears to affect the likelihood of being gay. The "fraternal birth order effect" suggests that each older brother increases your chances of being homosexual by approximately 30%. This is not thought to be environmental (from examining adoptee children) but rather genetic, and related to the mother's immune system, and the H-Y fetal antigen (present only in males), which can trigger an immune response in mothers. It is thought that mothers’ antibodies may develop a resistance to the H-Y antigen over time with exposure, meaning subsequent male fetuses are exposed to different immuno-environments. Interestingly in support of this, there is no similar correlation in same-sex attracted females.

While on the topic of females, earlier this year a gene was discovered that affects the sexual preferences of female laboratory knockout mice. Knockout mice have genes systematically removed, and when this particular gene is removed, female mice reject the advances of males and instead try to mate with other females. The mouse gene codes for an enzyme that adds sugar to proteins affecting their estrogen levels. The brains of mice embryos lacking the gene are flooded with estrogen and, as a result, develop more like the brains of male mice (with female anatomy). However, it is impossible at this stage to know whether or not there is a similar gene in humans as this particular gene does not code for the same enzyme in humans, and masculinity in humans is controlled by testosterone not estrogen.

Another study (on which I intend to elaborate in the next blog) relating to children raised in same-sex families, found that they were no more likely to consider homosexual relationships than children raised by heterosexual parents. 76 children aged 17 in the US were interviewed and compared to children raised in heterosexual families of similar household income and educational background.

To finish up, here’s a fun one... Take a look at your hands. Pay particular attention to your index and ring fingers. In women, these two fingers are usually almost equal in length. In men, the ring finger tends to be much longer. The ratio of the lengths of the index finger to the ring finger is called the 2D:4D ratio. Low ratios are considered "masculine" while high ratios "feminine" because development of fingers in the womb reflects testosterone levels. Testosterone levels are typically higher in women who experience same-sex attraction.

So next time, kids, when you're parents ask where they went wrong, tell them you're not giving their parenting style all the credit for your amazing sexuality, because some things are just random, due to a little thing called meiosis and DNA.
This is Z, signing out.

Everyone's a Liar

First things first, huge news. My blog has caught the attention of Fuse (ok... so maybe I sent some stuff to the editor, on the advice of @Emma Erikson) but the point is they've loved it and they've offered me a 650 word column every issue! 


So, here you all are, witnesses to a little blog thats about to be published in a real magazine! First article will be in the September issue, its free, so grab and issue and show everyone! 


Moving on however... An article on New Scientist caught my attention today and prompted the topic of today's blog. Lies.


"I'll tell you about lies. There are white lies and black lies, and many shades of grey lies...Everyone is a liar". 


So why and how do we do Lie and is there a science to lying?


Lets start with some stats shall we?


-The average person lies at least once a day, and is lied to up to 200 times.
-The average person student lies twice a day, and in 46% of conversations with their parents (I thought you'd all like that one!). 
-1 in 5 social interactions involves a lie. 
-Twice as many lies are told to benefit the liar, rather than another individual 


These rates aren't as strange as it might appear, think about how many of your social interactions each day involve deception, even in its mildest forms.
When the person  at the super market check-out asks after your well-being, how many people do you think give a genuine answer? "Thanks for asking, actually, I've had a terrible day, I drunk myself stupid last night, threw up on a doctors shoes this morning and had to skip work, hence why I'm buying mi.-georing and orange juice yet again, instead of anything that could be considered real food".


While humans aren't the only primate to exhibit behavior that can be seen as lying, we do seem to have refined lying to a somewhat ridiculous level. From attracting a "mate" and other self-gain, to preservation of dignity and seeming altruism, lying has become an integral part of life as we know it, despite it almost universal condemnation as a threat to the moral fabric of society. 


Children, it would seem, develop the ability to lie around the same time they begin to gain self-awareness, with the use of self-pronouns and self-recognition ushering in minor acts of deception. Research suggests that intelligence is often indicative of lying ability in children, with some children able to lie by the age of just 3. Furthermore, the average four year old lies every two hours. This seems quite paradoxical at first given that abstract thought may not be achieved by children till the early adolescence. Then again honesty and morality are very abstract concepts. Deception however is not.  


But is this Machiavellian streak learned or perhaps more worrying... innate? No one, it seems has a answer for this highly contested issue. But in leu of an answer here's a little something on detecting lies...


Voluntary and involuntary muscles are controlled by two distinctly separate parts of the brain, understanding this fact is key when it comes to spotting a lie, because while the same muscles are involved in a fake smile and the real thing, minor differences exist because different mechanisms are controlling them. There is a significant amount of research for instance to support the idea of "smiling with your eyes", it appears that only when a smile is real, do the muscles around our eyes contract. 


In total there are currently around 17,000 recognized facial expressions and your unconscious recognizes in a way your conscious mind can not hope to achieve, so rule number one is trust your intuition. 


Speech patterns are also generally a good place to start, while there is no universal indicator here, liars will generally use more negative words than people telling the truth, it is also not uncommon (in case of a unplanned lie) for the liar to repeat the question in an outraged tone, rather than actually answering, planned lies also tend to be accompanied by exaggerated tones or overly flat tones. 


When it comes to body language, this varies greatly depending on whether the lie is spontaneous or pre-planned, so we'll look at them separately, and then together.  


Pre-planned:
-Less blinking
-Too much eye contact


Spontaneous:
-More blinking 
-Not enough eye contact


Both:
-Covering disgust with a smile, it is difficult not the pucker the nose
-Conversely masking sadness is given aware by a raised brow
-Less gestures
-Pupils dilate
-Fidgeting with hair and clothes 


It is important to remember that many of these behaviors are simply indicative of stress or anxiety, and therefore may not simply occur when someone is lying. 


To finish off, I am not by any means condoning lying,but I personally do believe that many moral grey areas exist and that non-self serving lies might have a place in some situations. But bare in mind that the research says (unless you are a sociopath and pathological liar), lying makes us uncomfortable, it leaves us in a state of lasting unrest and fear, causing rumination and intrusive memories... so think before speak. 


This is Z, signing out. 

The Chemistry of Love (take 2).

Day twenty seven:

A while back (before I had the world's worst hang over and then caught a lung infection) I promised Danni and Emma another blog, to clarify that even I don't believe love only comes down to chemicals and biology.

So here goes; The Chemistry of Love Part Two (this time with less chemistry I promise).

Firstly I guess what maybe I want to clarify is that love having a biological process to back it up only furthers its existence rather than diminishing it. Because here we have this ridiculous phenomenon which renders us speechless, senseless and otherwise irrational and despite this isn't some pseudo-spiritual occurrence but one that messes with they very chemistry of our brains.

Oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine, we know they fluctuate as we fall in and out of love...when we have sex with stranger and bond with our new born children but why?
There's the mystery you should content yourself with Danni, or rather tear your hair out over. It doesn't make sense, heck half the time it makes the opposite of sense, it contradicts natural selection and general well being turning us into hyper-maniacs (literally, see the previous blog if you haven't already kids).

Mark Twain once described love as "the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired"
Just to play the devils advocate... how does unrequited love fit in to this?

John Marsden made the simple observation that love is "liking someone with all their faults". (No criticism here from me, if only because he's my hero, he once signed a book of mine "live, love, take risks" <3 )

Henry Louis Mencken- Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
(This one I can not agree with more, though that is not to say it is a positive outcome!)

C.S Lewis- We love to know we are not alone.

Diane Arbus- Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of understanding and misunderstanding.

Just a short blog today, assignments beg my attention so lets end with the best quote I've heard to date from the lovely Emily Dickinson who said; "That love is all there is, is all we know of love".

So till next time; Live. Love. Take Risks!
-Z 

Because Love is a Ghost

Because Love is a Ghost
The distraught musings of unwritten letters
Indelible fragments of nonexistent memories
An unspoken promise bourn aloft
On the far flung hopes of something better

The ghost of a reality
Tenuously hinged on consciousness.
An evanescent ruse, a dream
a dream of her.
A dream of mortality.

The execution of fleeting passion,
Nuanced in agony
Tormented by ambivalence.
A purgatory for the surreal
Because Love is a Ghost.

The Chemistry of Love

Ok, so because right now I have 2 weeks worth of chemistry lectures to watch as well as this mornings chemistry lecture, I am writing a procrastinatory blog instead. Wow it turns out procrastinatory is a word. I love language...! Quash your  laughter at my nerdiness immediately and keep reading. 


So here's the thing, we talk about sex and sexuality a lot, (especially for of you who've been reading since my notes were called "The Whatever Generation", in which case as tried and tested readers I demand you check out the real blog http://idburnthiscitydowntoshowyouthelights.blogspot.com/


But what about love? 


I have a friend whom ardently announced on a hung-over road trip once that she believes love does not exist. She suggested when we fall "in love" it simply a justification of lust in cohorts with friendship.


Personally I think it comes down to how you define love. 


The oxford dictionary;


-An intense feeling of affection
-A deeply romantic or sexual attachment to someone
-A great interest of pleasure in something


Assuming love is a hypothetical construct (e.g. truth, hate, motivation) these all provide a plausible circumstance for its existence.


But in the popular culture of westernized society love has exceeded the boundaries of this definition, it now comes with connotations of irrationality and a certain blindness, the kind that can only end in heart-break and disaster. Society it seems, loves to take what should be a simple concept and polarize it till an alternate and ambivalent definition has been created. Thus to many Love has become inexplicable, almost spiritual occurrence,  one so ridiculous that much of our generation has lost faith in the whole idea. 


But what if there was a scientific explanation for "love"? Can we explain this phenomenon in the same way we can explain sadness, and joy? (Which occur consequently with the release of certain neurotransmitters and hormones in the central nervous system).


"Love" is perhaps the most complex, widespread neurological process to date, and there's still a lot of potential candidates as far as neurotransmitters involved go, but here's some research to consider.




When we first fall in love, serotonin levels plummet to a degree similar to that of sufferers of obsessive compulsive disorder. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter linked to feelings of well being, excessively low levels of Serotonin can even lead to "religious experiences" and other delusions. 


In addition to Serotonin, dopamine floods the brain, giving a high similar to that of illegal stimulants, creating a strong association between pleasure and our love interest. Despite dopamine being a normal neurotransmitter (also released when we eat chocolate and even shop) it is highly addictive, and thus break-ups can lead to withdrawal symptoms worse than those of many addictive drugs. 


If you've ever wondered why the lines between love and good sex become blurred, then the answer you're looking for could be Oxytocin, a polypeptide hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain. It is released in women during labour and is best know for its role in cementing the relationship between a mother and her new born child. But Oxytocin is also released during orgasms for both males and females.The amount of Oxytocin released into the brain increases with the quality and quantity of sex, and creates a sense intimacy similar to maternal closeness. 


It can also affect the sex-appeal of total strangers, the more Oxytocin coursing through our veins the more attractive and trusting we find strangers. It is thought that this neurotransmitter dampens the activity in the amygdala, a region of the brain which deals with fear. So next time you have a wonderful one night stand, which ends with you swearing undying love to the persons involved, remember oxytocin. 


But then again... who am I to say what's love and what isn't? 


Notably Oxytocin levels also surge with the use of the drug Ecstasy, meaning that "coming down" after a high, is literally equivalent to having your heart broken. 


One particular study in Switzerland has found that teenagers who consider themselves to be in love, exhibit symptoms and brain wave pattern similar to people suffering from hypomania. They required an average of one hours sleep less than others their age, acted 60% more compulsively, particularly when driving, and had reoccurring intrusive memories similar to people suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. As to whether these symptoms were psychosomatic or not, research was inconclusive.


I have a biology lecture now, 
So till next time, don't give up on love.
-Z